page_title: Geography of California
section_title: Modoc Plateau
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of California / Northern California / Modoc Plateau
caption_attribution_description: Mono Lake from Mount Dana, California, United States
context_page_description: California is a U.S. state on the western coast of North America. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi, California is among the most geographically diverse states. The Sierra Nevada, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the tallest, most massive, and oldest. It is also home to both the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states.
  The state is generally divided into Northern and Southern California, although the boundary between the two is not well defined. San Francisco is decidedly a Northern California city and Los Angeles likewise a Southern California one, but areas in between do not often share their confidence in geographic identity. The US Geological Survey defines the geographic center of the state at a point near North Fork, California.
  Earth scientists typically divide the state into eleven distinct geomorphic provinces with clearly defined boundaries.
context_section_description: In the northeast corner of the state lies the Modoc Plateau, an expanse of lava flows that formed a million years ago and now lie at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m). The plateau has many cinder cones, juniper flats, pine forests, and seasonal lakes.  The plateau lies between the Cascade Range to the west and the Warner Mountains to the east. The Lost River watershed drains the north part of the plateau, while southern watersheds either collect in basin reservoirs or flow into Big Sage Reservoir and thence to the Pit River.
  Nine percent of the plateau is protected as reserves or wilderness areas, such as the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge. The plateau supports large herds of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana).  Herds of wild horses and livestock grazing have altered the original high desert ecosystem of the plateau.
caption: Mono Lake
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